Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has defended Kylian Mbappe over his activities during the international break – describing criticism as “ridiculous”.

France captain Mbappe withdrew from international duty after picking up an injury against Turkey on 25 September.

He later shared images on social media at a Paris Fashion Week event and also riding a bicycle – something Mourinho had previously said was against his rules.

“When it comes to Real Madrid, it’s always different,” he said.

“But all the players did exactly what they were supposed to during the break. And then you always want to look for more problems and issues.

“What I can promise is when a Real Madrid player doesn’t behave the way a Real Madrid player is supposed to and when he fails at that and he stops being a Real Madrid player for 24 hours, you will not see that player on the bench because he will be at home.”

He said an image of Mbappe riding a bike in Switzerland had been misrepresented, saying that bicycles were available for guests at his hotel complex to use for short journeys.

Asked if coverage of Mbappe was exaggerated he added: “Exaggerated, no – I think it was ridiculous.

“If Mbappe plays tomorrow, it’s because he hasn’t failed Real Madrid and he hasn’t failed to fulfil his obligations to the club,” he added.

Real are six points behind leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table after seven games.

Mbappe, 27, is one of the favourites to win this year’s Ballon d’Or. He scored 42 goals in 44 games for his club last season but they did not win any trophies.

He won the World Cup Golden Boot with 10 goals, taking his career tally at World Cups to a record 22 – although France finished fourth.

With the threat of serious sanctions hanging over City, we await to find out what comes next.

In Rangers’ case, entering administration in February of the 2011-12 season meant a 10-point deduction was triggered. They finished the campaign in second, 20 points behind champions Celtic.

No further penalties were applied, with liquidation ensuing in June 2012.

Rangers were also never stripped of any honours they won during the years they used EBTs, which were ruled to have not gained them “any unfair competitive advantage”.

Where things get a bit fiddly, confusing and the source of debate among fans, is the distinction between Rangers the club and Rangers the company.

Following the liquidation, the football assets – including Ibrox, the training ground, name and brand – were acquired by a new company led by Charles Green.

Despite the team continuing to play at Ibrox with the same colours and badge, jibes about Rangers not being the same club are heard from opposing fans at every match.

After Green bought the assets, a vote took place to decide whether Rangers could remain in the top tier. Ten of the 12 top-flight clubs voted against the application, with Kilmarnock abstaining and Rangers voting in favour.

Rangers then had to apply to play in the lower leagues, which at the time were governed by the Scottish Football League, a body separate from the top flight, then called the Scottish Premier League.

This shares similarities with the current set-up in England, with the Premier League separate from the English Football League, which governs the Championship, League One and League Two.

Premier League expulsion has been hypothetically discussed as a potential sanction for City. That could mean they then have to apply to be accepted into the EFL, just as Rangers did with the old SFL.

The Scottish FA recommended Rangers enter the second tier, but that was rejected by the majority of SFL clubs, with 25 of the 30 voting for Rangers to enter the fourth tier instead.